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valeriaboom's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Sexism, Alcohol, and Misogyny
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Addiction
maartabarrales's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I hate that this is quickly becoming my to go criticism, but I think this book was in desperate need of some ruthless editing.
While the premise sounds fine to me, “Devil wears Prada of the restaurant industry” it is not enough to carry an entire book, especially not a three hundred paged one.
I would have been pleased to just spend a year in the life of this girl, without any major conflicts, just watching her learn and grow. I’m trash for that most of the time. But with books of that sort you’re usually allowed some color beyond the gimmick, you get to see different aspects of the protagonist’s life or become invested in the people that surround them. In Sweetbitter though, the entire book is comprised of stumbling at the job, drinking and snorting at the closest dive bar and pining over a guy that is exactly the kind to complain about hipsters and girls who wear makeup.
I was simultaneously exhilarated and puzzled at the main character’s shock when her relationship goes sour, her refusal to see this guy as the dick he is was amusingly frustrating.
Tess’ relationship with Simone was definitely more interesting, never to the point where either of them become more than mere sketches of people, but you gotta work with what you have.
It felt clear to me from the beginning that Tess wanted, in a way, to become Simone. She wanted her knowledge and poise and envied her relationship with Jake (the crush) I found it funny that what undoes her in the end is the knowledge that Simone and Jake are going on vacation without her. That neither of them considered it important to inform her, much less invite her.
Some accusations of grooming and sexual assault are thrown at Simone in the last stretch, but nothing is ever confirmed and it all felt like a last minute attempt to make her into a villain on the author’s part.
Despite this, I still feel like the book has potential, perhaps as a short story, or free of a few hundred pages it would have felt more solid. I wouldn’t recommend it as it is, it has a common enough concept that there are a few better alternatives out there.
Kudos on the cover though, it’s gorgeous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
orireading's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual content
poppyseedbagel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug use, Misogyny, and Sexism
platypusinrainboots's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I couldn't put this book down but it isn't without its darkness and heaviness. As someone who has lived in NYC, I felt so connected to this book and how it made me feel about the city and living there.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Death of parent, and Sexism
alexwx's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is an enjoyable book if you find yourself in a very similar predicament to the protagonist––22, working in a fine dining setting, white––but I can't imagine ever returning to it. Many of the characters were poorly developed (though to be fair I think this was in part intentional), the plot was predictable and for that reason exhausting, and this may be a personal sensitivity but I found the author's use of gay characters throughout slightly offensive (they were almost exclusively used for shock value and portrayed as catty or predatory). It also felt like a very incomplete portrait of the protagonist's life, which was strange as it was a novel so focused on inner monologue and daily life. That being said, I felt very seen by this novel and it's stuck in my head longer than many other books I've read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
Minor: Sexism
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